BAFTA bosses worried anti-Donald Trump rants 'could ruin' ceremony

An insider warned it would 'take complete attention away from the films'

Already this awards season, numerous actors have used their platforms to speak out against the current President of the United States, Donald Trump.

At the Golden Globes, for instance, Meryl Streep called out Trump for mocking a disabled reporter. Then, just days after the so-called Muslim Ban was announced, actors began calling for unity at the SAG Awards.

Organisers of the BAFTAs are reportedly panicking that Trump’s impact on their ceremony could be detrimental to the overall event.

"Having 15 back-to-back Trump speeches would be a disaster and would take complete attention away from the films," a source told Mail Online.

"Nobody wants to tell the stars what they should or shouldn't say and bosses expect the odd reference. But the last thing they want is a string of political rants, particularly with Trump's UK visit and his Muslim ban in full flow.”

The BAFTAs air with a two-hour delay, meaning bosses can “edit” speeches if they overrun, the insider warning that - if speeches go beyond a brief comment - they will be edited.

An official BAFTA spokesman said in response: "We respectfully ask all winners to keep their acceptance speech short."